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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffYou're likely to start by first seeing your family doctor or your child's pediatrician. However, when you call to set up your appointment, you may be urged to seek immediate medical care if your child is experiencing any of the following:
- High fever
- Severe sore throat or difficulty swallowing
- Intense abdominal pain or vomiting
- Severe headache
Because appointments can be brief, and because there's often a lot of ground to cover, it's a good idea to be well prepared for your appointment. Here's some information to help you get ready.
What you can do
- Write down any symptoms your child has been experiencing, and for how long.
- Make a list of your child's key medical information, including other conditions he or she is being treated for and any medications your child is taking.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor.
The list below suggests questions to raise with your doctor about scarlet fever. Don't hesitate to ask more questions during your appointment at any time that you don't understand something.
- Does my child have scarlet fever?
- Are there any other possible causes for my child's symptoms?
- What kinds of tests does my child need?
- What treatment do you recommend?
- How soon after my child begins treatment will he or she begin to feel better?
- Is my child at risk of any long-term complications related to scarlet fever?
- Is there anything I can do to help soothe my child's skin while it heals?
- When can my child return to school?
- Is my child contagious? How can I reduce my child's risk of passing the illness to others?
- Is there a generic alternative to the medicine you're prescribing?
In addition to the questions that you've prepared to ask your doctor, don't hesitate to ask questions during your appointment at any time that you don't understand something.
What to expect from your doctor
Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions. Being ready to answer them may reserve time to go over any points you want to talk about in-depth. Your doctor may ask:
- What are your child's symptoms?
- When did your child first begin experiencing symptoms?
- Has your child had a sore throat or difficulty swallowing?
- Has your child had a fever? How high was the fever, and how long did it last?
- Has your child had abdominal pain or vomiting?
- Has your child been eating adequately?
- Has your child complained of headache?
- Has your child recently had a strep infection?
- Has your child recently been exposed to anyone with a strep infection?
- Has your child been diagnosed with any other medical conditions, including mental health disorders?
- Is your child currently taking any medications?
What you can do in the meantime
While you wait for your appointment, you may be able to ease your child's discomfort with over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) and acetaminophen (Tylenol, others). Don't give aspirin to your child without first consulting your child's doctor. Drinking fluids, gargling salt water and using a humidifier may improve your child's throat pain. Children older than age 4 can suck on throat lozenges.
- Arumugam V, et al. Scarlet fever. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2009. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/119790350-5/802768093/1701/530.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-04134-8..50022-7--cesec71_11163. Accessed Feb. 10, 2009.
- Exanthems and drug eruptions. In: Habif TP. Clinical Dermatology. 4th ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/119754552-5/802599473/1195/85.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-01319-8..50016-9--cesec21_1617. Accessed Feb. 10, 2009.
- Gerber MA. Group A streptococcus. In: Kliegman RM, et al. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics.18th ed. Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/119754552-5/802599473/1608/526.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2450-7..50184-5--cesec9_4149. Accessed Feb. 10, 2009.
- Streptococcal and enterococcal infections. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec14/ch171/ch171d.html. Accessed Feb. 10, 2009.
- Scarlet fever. American Academy of Family Physicians. http://kidshealth.org/PageManager.jsp?dn=familydoctor&lic=44&article_set=22939. American Academy of Family Physicians. Accessed Feb. 10, 2009.
- Fever in infants and children. American Academy of Family Physicians. http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/tools/symptom/504.html. Accessed Feb. 10, 2009.
- Leslie DL, et al. Neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infection: A case-control study among privately insured children. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2008;47:1166.
- Group A streptococcal infections. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/streptococcal/default.htm. Accessed Feb. 10, 2009.
- Scarlet fever. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/scarletfever_g.htm. Accessed Feb. 10, 2009.
- PANDAS. Pediatrics & Developmental Neuroscience Branch. http://intramural.nimh.nih.gov/pdn/web.htm. Accessed Feb. 10, 2009.
